Bright and Gentle

Chapter 102

Bright and Gentle

Uh, what the hell is this tiny little thing?!

Leo cautiously walked over to a young girl that had appeared out of nowhere, well after midnight, and fell over to her side, comatose. Gray dutifully sat by her side, looking proud as ever, and Leo couldn't help but look at him strangely. First it was him appearing out of nowhere, then it was him leading Leo to Whiskers, and now... now he'd led what looked like a child back to his camp. There was something strange about this dog, and it had nothing to do with cultivation.

He crouched by the girl's side and took a closer look; she looked to be no older than ten, perhaps eleven, and was in a rather sorry state. Her feet were bruised and bloodied, gashes and lacerations aplenty decorating them. The dress she wore was torn and shredded, revealing even more wounds across her legs. Disheveled hair, cracked fingernails, dirt everywhere... if she were an ordinary child, it would be quite a harrowing sight. But Leo had doubts.

After all, this was a fantasy world--and in fantasy worlds, young girls were often old hags unable to let go of their youth. There was a good chance that this entire thing was a trap to let his guard down. Even if Gray led her here, it wasn't as though the dog had any keen sense of right or wrong. He was just a dog, and a stupid one at that, it seemed.

He touched her cheek gently, frowning. She was rather cold, and it wasn't long before she began to whimper. 

Leo sighed, relenting. If she was an old hag, then so be it, he figured. He scooped her gently into his arms and walked into the longhouse, finding one of the empty rooms and settling her down on the bed. Plucking a blanket from his spatial ring, he threw it at her and retreated. Though she had wounds everywhere, most seemed shallow and relatively nonthreatening. He wasn't about to disrobe a comatose kid in the middle of the night, even if a gaping black hole opened up above them.

He didn't close the doors, and Gray entered after him, likely due to curiosity, though perhaps to keep an eye out on her. Glancing one last time at the trembling little thing under the covers, Leo sighed and left the longhouse instead of going upstairs to sleep. Tonight, he would meditate and cultivate, even if he wasn't feeling like it. 

"It's just one thing after another," he mumbled as he exited the structure, looking around. Most everyone besides the usual suspects had left, and the night's silence was permeating every corner. He went back to the last roaring flame and stoked it again, sitting by its side cross-legged and closing his eyes. 

Even if he was tempted to check in on her, he stayed outside, figuring that one of the animals would come and fetch him if things took a turn for worse. They never did, though, as night grew ever so brighter, and as the dawn ascended. 

**

It was scary.

Dark. Unsettling. Silent. 

Shui'er snapped her eyes open in horror and gasped for breath. It was strangely warm and comfortable, and after rubbing her eyes to make sure, she realized she was lying in bed inside some unknown room. It wasn't a particularly spruced room, with some haggard items thrown in the corners, lacking any decorations or even furniture beyond the bed itself. There was a window to her right, slightly ajar, letting in the beams of sunlight as they streaked across the floor.

Glancing to her left, she met a familiar set of eyes--beady, large, and curious-looking. The shaggy dog was there, sitting by the bedside and observing her silently. 

That's right! 

This stupid dog led to her to that giant! But no, wait--if giant wanted to eat her, how come she was still alive? Or, perhaps, was he one of those perverted giants that ate little girls while they were awake? Shui'er shook and shivered, pulling the warm blanket over her chest and eyeing the dog warily. 

A set of footsteps alarmed her as she looked over to the opened doors, fearing that giant peeking through. Instead, however, it was a cute little kitten, no larger than a bowl of food. It meowed gently and nimbly climbed up onto the shaggy dog, eyeing her too right after. 

Before she had the chance to process everything, more and more animals started walking through those doors--there was a strange rabbit, a six-armed monkey, a weird owl, a pair of black and white cats(?), there was a tiny bear cub, a parrot--

Shui'er felt the stars spinning as her room turned into a walk-in zoo of sorts, crowded to the ceiling. However, none of the animals came even near the bed, let alone near her, keeping their distance and observing her. Even so, she was terrified; there was so little of her, and so many of them. Perhaps... perhaps that giant would fatten her up and then eat her? Or share her with all these animals?! 

"Where is everyone--ah," a voice startled her, causing her to turn her head towards the doors. There he was! The giant!

However... he wasn't as scary as she made him up to be. Now that she could see him clearly, he seemed a bit softer; yes, he still had wild, devilish hair and beard, and he was still massive--tall and broad--and he wore strange clothes, but his voice was rather soft and melodic and the look in his eyes... yes, it was gentle. 

"Everyone, out. Why did you come here to bother her? Out, or no dinner for you!" his words were like reckoning thunder, like a whip even--every animal, including the dog and the kitten, ran out as though for their lives. Within just three and a half seconds, the room was empty--save for him and her. She looked up and met his gaze, and he smiled. "Hey. Are you hungry?" she didn't have a voice in her to reply, but she did her best to nod. "Hm. Do you want to eat outside or in here?" 

Shui'er clutched her fingers into a fist and shot herself full of determination. If she would die, it wouldn't be in some dull, stinky room! Before she could leave the bed, he called out suddenly.

"Ah, wait--here," he put down a pair of sandals near the bed. "I, uh, I can also carry you if your feet hurt." 

She shook her head and donned the pair of sandals. They were quite soft and comfortable, and though her feet did hurt, she was a brave girl and ignored it, only whimpering once or twice. She followed him out of the room and around the corner and through a rather massive hall where quite a few animals were currently sleeping, and out the tall doors. 

The world outside was alive with colors and sounds that caused her heartbeat to quicken. The Forbidden Woods was a scary, scary, scary place. It was where monsters lived, monsters who ate people, and where even flowers were deathly and lethal. 

However, this place... was simply beautiful. The trees were tall, yes, but they were bright and dashing. The animals were all cute and rolling around lazily. The flowers decorated the nearby shrubberies with the wildest colors. The air was clear, and she never found it easier to breathe. 

"Here, sit," the man pointed at a small boulder with a cushion on top. She nodded and followed instructions as he poured something from a massive, black pot into a bowl. "It's a vegetable stew. I don't have any meat, unfortunately. I hope you'll like it." 

Shui'er remained silent, though she did take the bowl. She was hungry, after all; hungry, tired, afraid, and nervous. What was happening--that was her question. Was the giant really just fattening her up? 

She couldn't quite reconcile what she knew of this place and what it was actually like. It was bright, sunny, and relaxing; there were no animals howling or growling, nobody was fighting, and though there was a scary giant in their midst... he, too, seemed strangely gentle. Or, perhaps, did she fall asleep in the dark, and never quite woke up? 

"Ah!" she exclaimed upon the first bite, her eyes widening. It was delicious! Super, super delicious! More so than any other food she'd ever eaten before in her life! Even the sweet bread wasn't anywhere near delicious as this! 

Impatient, she began to gobble it up, choking for a moment, coughing so much that her eyes grew teary, but eating further immediately after. She didn't stop until the entire bowl was empty, finally realizing what she'd done. Her cheeks flared up, and she felt every ounce of heat upon them; growing fidgety, she shyly looked to her side where she saw the giant looking at her with a smile. 

"More?" instead of making fun of her, or correcting her behavior, he simply offered more... and she accepted. 

She ate three whole bowls in total before she finally felt full--perhaps even too full. Silence fell, and it weighed heavily upon her, though only for a moment.

"T-thank you," she squeezed a voice between her teeth; it was low and barely audible, and permeated with fear and uncertainty, but it was hers. 

"I'm glad you liked it," the giant stood up and walked over to one of the strange huts besides the massive building, shuffling inside for a moment before leaving. In his hands, he carried two cups, handing her one. Inside was a rather colorful and sweet-smelling liquid that seemed to kindle her full stomach yet again with yearning. She took a sip and felt... divine. 

Shui'er felt her entire body grow strangely wobbly, but not in a bad way. The pulsating pain from her feet and legs slowly disappeared, and the fog in her mind dispersed. Every sip, it felt, returned years of life back to her. 

"... thank you," she squeezed the words yet again, though grew even more worried. Why? Why was he treating her so nicely? What would he ask of her in return? Would he, too, ask of her to brave the dark in the name of saving the village? She didn't want to. Not again.

She didn't want to feel the cold. The fear. The pain. 

"What's your name?" 

"Shui'er." 

"How old are you, Shui'er?" 

"Eleven." 

"My name is Leo."

"Hm." 

"Can you guess how old I am?" she looked up from the floor and at his face yet again. He seemed old, yet young, both so at the same time. 

"Uhm, eighty-seven?"

"Kah!" 

"A-ah, sorry! A hundred and eighty-seven?"

"S-stop, I'm... I'm dying here."

"S-sorry! Shui'er's a bad girl, I'm sorry--"

"--no, no," the man suddenly laughed rather gently, shaking his head. "Do I really look that old? Aah, maybe I should shave and get a haircut. I'm only thirty-seven, you know? Ah, I suppose... I should be turning thirty-eight around this time, huh?" 

Shui'er bit her lips and clutched her hands between her thighs. She'd done something wrong, and she would now be punished. She only hoped that the punishment wouldn't hurt. 

"I'm sorry if I scared you," the giant said. "I don't mind it, you know? I just didn't think I'd still be conscious of my age. Goes to show that I haven't grown-up as much as I thought, I guess. Since Gray led you here, and since you followed him... I'm guessing you don't have anywhere else to go."

"N-no," she mumbled. Where else? Back to the village? No. Never. 

"What the hell's wrong with this world," the man mumbled softly, mostly so into his jaw, but Shui'er heard. She braved looking up yet again, meeting his gaze. The color of his eyes reminded her of the woolen parka that she quite liked wearing. "You can stay here, if you don't mind. There's not much to do, but you'll be safe, at least."

"T-thank you," she said, growing firm with determination. "I, I will work! I can, yes, I can clean, and I can carry things! I may be small, but I am strong! Very strong!" 

"Ha ha, I'm sure you are," his large hand suddenly hovered over her as fear took over. She closed her eyes, steeling herself; however, he merely patted her head rather gently as he spoke further. "But I'd sooner walk bare-ass naked into a lake of shattered glass than let a kid work. Don't worry about it. There's a rather nice pond nearby where I take baths. Do you want me to take you there, or would you prefer one of the animals?" 

"... y-you," she mumbled softly. 

"Is that so? Let's go, then," he stood up, extending his arm with yet another smile. She followed, reaching out and grabbing it. In comparison, she truly was tiny--her whole fist was barely large enough to tangle around one of the giant's fingers. It was coarse and rough, but also warm and gentle. 

Why? 

Perhaps, for the first time, she didn't ask why. She merely followed the large footsteps the best she could, never looking away from his face even after stumbling a few times. Maybe, just maybe... there was happiness in reserves for her waiting still.